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4/29/15

Saturday was Ardo's actual birthday. Yes around these parts we celebrate birthdays for the entire month! We decided to keep the Disney festivities going and take Ardo to Goofy's kitchen. We made reservations because I read Goofy's Kitchen can get very busy. We arrived on time and told Ardo for his birthday he was going to have breakfast with Goofy!
There was one downside, Goofy's Kitchen was expensive. I can only see us maybe going one more time possibly for James' 2nd birthday cause the kids really enjoyed it but it was over $100 for the 3 of us. This was a special occasion so we budgeted for it but I definitely could not see us going again unless it was another special occasion.
As soon as we got there, as soon as we sat down, here came Minnie. The characters stayed at our table for a long time. They took plenty of pictures and came back a few times. Ardo was in heaven.

James wasn't as sure with Minnie but he never cried, he just wasn't sure if he wanted her super close to him.
Ardo and I both enjoyed some Mickey Mouse pancakes and Mickey Mouse waffles. I thought the buffet was good such a big variety of food. After Ardo ate his pancakes and waffles he then had a bowl of fruit loops. He doesn't eat fruit loops at home so he went crazy. I really wanted him to try the peanut butter and jelly pizza but he didn't want too. I don't know why I didn't just try it myself!
Towards the end of our meal they came and sang happy birthday to Ardo and he blew out his candle once again! He's wanted to blow out candles everyday since his birthday. I have to remind him at some point his candle blowing days are over til next year! haha.

4/27/15

Well guys I survived it! All the birthday festivities are over and I survived and even managed to have a great time. We got to Disneyland early Friday morning. I wanted to spend some time at California Adventure because last time we went to Disneyland we only stayed there for a little bit but didn't get on any rides and then went to Disneyland. We were so lucky because as we entered California Adventure there was Mickey in all his glory. The line to take a picture with him was fairly short so we took advantage. Ardo was beside himself with happiness. He loves Mickey Mouse and could not believe he was meeting him. James didn't cry so I'll take that like he loved Mickey too.
It started to rain shortly after we took our picture. We took cover under Ariel's Under the Sea ride. That was our first ride as we tried to wait out the rain. I'm all for the rain because being a California resident Lord knows we need it. I didn't let it discourage us one bit. Even if it rained all day I kept telling Jerry, "thank goodness they sell overpriced ponchos!" Right after Ariel's ride James took his first of many naps of the day.
(You guys I'm a little OBSESSED with moccs for James. I found these Mickey Moccs here. I LOVE THEM! okay back to Disney day)
I'm so proud of Jerry and I because we didn't crazy over pack for the trip. We each took a backpack. In my backpack I packed 8 diapers, one full thing of wipes, an extra set of clothes for each of the boys, sunblock and beanies, oh and a little make up bag for me so I could look halfway decent. In Jerry's backpack he carried our snacks and couple toys to keep James entertained. We took one blanket for each of them and of course the Ergo and that was it. For two small boys we really packed light and just the necessities with maybe one or two extra. James is 9 months old now and thankfully doesn't have nearly as many poop explosions like he did a few months ago.
We spent a good 3 hours at California Adventure, getting on rides and just walking around. We took time to meet Olaf and go to Frozen Fun. Jerry isn't always the most patient when it comes to long lines, but before we went we talked and I reminded him that this was Disneyland and there were going to be long lines everywhere. We just have to try and be patient. Because even with the rain some of the lines were still long.
We went to Toon Town to have lunch only because it was really close and we were all hungry by 12. Ardo had to go to the restroom and on the way we spotted Pluto. Ardo went to the bathroom the fastest I've ever seen him and we ran out to get a picture with him. He told every character that they were his best friend.
James was such a good baby. He only got fussy towards the evening but I think he was just tired of being confined. He didn't want to be in the stroller or the carrier anymore. He still did really well tho and nursed and napped and then snacked and nursed and napped again.
I normally make James' baby food but for Disneyland I thought buying them would be the easiest. Nuby sent me this amazing squeeze feeder to review (I will have a full review later this week). It was absolutely perfect! James doesn't know how to eat straight from the pouches so I filled up this spoon and gave him as much as he wanted to eat. Afterwards I would just clean the spoon off and place the cap on it and wait til he wanted more. He ate the whole thing within a two hour span and it was a cool day so I didn't worry too much about keeping it cold.
Jelly Bellys for days. Ardo was asleep during our candy run right after the Winnie the Pooh ride, so we chose his Jelly Bellys for him.
Sometimes Jerry forgets that I like pictures with the kids too so I asked him to take a picture of James and I on the Pinocchio ride and this is how that went...
and then he took a picture of Pinocchio on the Pinocchio ride and this is how that went...why did the Pinocchio picture come out better than James and me!
After Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. James slept through the ride but as soon as it was over he woke up and enjoyed the car outside.
We left Disneyland about 9:30, we brought the boys their pajamas because we knew they'd fall asleep in the car. James nursed as soon as we got home but he was dream feeding, probably about the Haunted Mansion. Thanks for having us Disneyland, we'll be back!

4/23/15

So WHY AM I SO FREAKIN BUSY!?!?! Last year for Ardo's birthday I had a huge Safari Themed birthday party for him. It was kinda my swan song because that very weekend I went on bedrest and didn't get off of bedrest til James was born (11 weeks later). I remember my Dr telling me I could go to my sons birthday but then that was it. :/
When we had Ardo's first birthday, Jerry and I decided we would have a birthday party every other year. We've stuck to it, we took Ardo to Disneyland for his 2nd birthday and we're doing that again this year for his 4th. We decided to do this, well actually I decided, to try and keep my sanity and so we aren't spending thousands of dollars each year on birthday parties. Here's the problem tho, Ardo's birthday is on Saturday and I feel just as busy as if we were having a party! Tomorrow we're having a little party at his preschool, but when I say little just cupcakes and pizza and a little pinata, and I can't really stay but I'm still stressed and busy! We're going to Disneyland tomorrow and Goofy's Kitchen on Saturday morning and then Saturday night we're going out for Jerry's birthday because his birthday is on Tuesday, my mind is going 100 miles a minute! I actually thought it was gonna be soooo easy this year...but no of course not, it's just as crazy! Blah! But we're almost there, and tomorrow I'm so excited for Disneyland. I bought Ardo and James matching Disney t-shirts. Matching anything makes me happy! Happy Thursday?

4/16/15

Over the weekend a cousin of mine had a birthday party for their son. Their son and Ardo are just 3 weeks apart, they would have been more but Ardo decided to come early so alas, they are born in the same month. This year the theme was spiderman! My cousin also hired a Spiderman to come to the party. Ardo is already in a Spiderman-Batman-Star Wars phase, he loves them. My cousin told me Spiderman would be coming but I didn't tell Ardo cause I wanted it to be a surprise. There was a jumper so the kids jumped and about half way through the party Spidey sneaks in. As the time was getting closer for Spiderman to arrive I started to wonder how Ardo would react. Sometimes he gets freaked out and sometimes he's fine, as he's getting older he's starting to like and understand things more and more and is less afraid so I figured he'd probably be okay. He was sitting on my other cousin when Spidey snuck in the party. Spidey sneaks in and hides behind a bush Ardo like laser beams BOOM! spotted him. I just saw him get this I'm-not-sure-don't-come-to-close look on his face. Jerry told him that Spiderman was just like Mickey Mouse and just like that Ardo liked him. The next thing we knew, Spidey had my cousins son and Ardo following him around the backyard. Then there was a few more kids, then all the kids were with Spidey. He was great! He showed them his Spiderman poses, he took tons of pictures, he turned into the life of the party.
This is Ardo's cousin Daniel, look at Ardo's face, ridiculously happy!
James took a picture with Spidey too, and this is how that went.

4/10/15

Erin! Thank you so much for everyone who entered my first giveaway for Milkies Milk Saver and Milkies Freeze! I have emailed Erin so I can get her goodies over to her right away. Thank you again and don't forget to check out Milkies for other breastfeeding needs you may have, Happy Friday!

4/8/15

So last night something happened, something that never happens, I sat on my bed nursed James and watch The Real Housewives. Haha, just kidding, that always happens! Last night tho I recorded Bravo for two hours and when the dishes were done, and my lunch and Ardo's lunch was packed and Ardo was asleep, I sat down nursed James and turned on my dvr. First up was part two of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Snooooozeville! I should tweet Andy Cohen (first I have to get a twitter, whatever) and tell him we really don't need 3 parts. It's not necessary, and the woman are just telling me the stories over again. Nothing new, so thanks but no thanks, two parts is good enough oh and please get rid of Brandi. Then it was New York's premiered, I've been so excited ever since they announced Bethenny was coming back, and they dived right in. The first scenes were with Bethenny and I was really happy. I actually thought the show would be around the other woman first and maybe Bethenny would come to a party or something, I had no idea she was completely back in full force. Did we not feel bad for her? When she said she was broke 7 years ago and now she has all the money and she's homeless, *sad face* right here. My cousin in law told me she may have shed a tear for Bethenny, but she always cries so you know. I'm happy Luann is back as a full time housewife. I really didn't like Luann when Jill was on New York, but ever since Jill left I've liked her more and more. Someone else I honestly felt bad for and I never ever ever thought I would was Ramona! You know what I loved about Ramona last night tho, how honest she was. I noticed whenever a housewife goes through something major either during the season or off season and they come back, they always have a new sense of honesty and I think honesty goes a long way especially with viewers. Everyone can relate to someone going through a hard time and sharing it. For the first time, in a long time I felt bad for Ramona and I NEVER feel bad for her and don't even always like her but yesterday I did. Sonja...yeah no, Sonja is making all the Sonya/Sonia/Sonja's look bad! haha. She's still so kooky. Did you guys notice how last night they really didn't touch on Kristen, Carole and Heather too much? Heather especially. I thought that was so weird. I did have a big "umm" of the episode, why is there a new housewife? Dorinda? Surprisingly I kinda liked her, but that's besides the point. What do we need a new housewife for? We already have 7 ... but now 8? The reunion is gonna need 3 couches! Maybe someone is going to be phased out? WHY DO WE NEED 8 HOUSEWIVES! So many questions. I'm excited for the season, it looks like a good one, but they always look like good ones. What did you guys think?
These pictures are from a Real Housewives party I had at my apartment last month. I invited over my friends and we all bought Housewives drinks. We were supposed to have more than just skinny girl and Vanderpump sangria, but we couldn't find Ramona Pinot anywhere! Teresa's Fabellini was also impossible and Vickie hasn't started selling her vodka yet, so we made due. After everyone arrived I told them they were in a Housewives safe zone and we talked Housewives, we watched it and played a game I made up called Housewives tagline. Basically we quizzed each other on how many tags lines we could guess in a minute. We had such a fun time and it cracked me up to have a party in my tiny apartment. And yes, in case you were wondering that is bacon on a pig platter, I love pigs what can I say.

4/7/15

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday. The day started with me getting up super early and heading straight to the market. Jerry and I were bringing banana pudding and macaroni and cheese to my cousins house and we hadn't bought the ingredients yet. So I went first thing in the morning. Happy Easter to me because being at the market by myself for 30 minutes was actually kinda nice. I went in and out. So many market outings is James either sleeping in the ergo or nursing, which I guess is better than crying but oh by myself was just wonderful. I came home we made our dishes and off we went for an Easter egg hunt. You are about to uncover a very long post with pictures, but I loved our Easter. This weekend was super long. We had a wedding on Friday, wedding re-cooperation and dinner on Saturday and then Easter on Sunday. Do we all wish we had Mondays off too?
I love seeing Ardo and all the kids so happy. It reminds me of when I was little and how genuinely excited I would be for holidays.

My delicious and super easy banana pudding. I probably should have taken a picture of Jerry's macaroni and cheese (which was also the bomb by the way) but I was so wrapped up getting my picture I forgot out his. oopsie.
We got a decent family picture too. I use decent because James and Ardo face. James looks way to happy and also he's doing his new smile, he just learned how to smile or make this face and we call it a smile. I think it's hilarious. And Ardo, he's looking over yonder somewhere admiring who knows what.
Lastly I wanted to share the boys picture with the Easter bunny. We took this picture on Thursday and I was just so sure James was gonna cry. Ardo wasn't crazy about the Easter bunny either, he wasn't scared, but once we got close I could see he was checking him out. Once the Easter bunny start high fiving tho, he won Ardo over. I told the woman that James was going to cry and as soon as I put him down just take the picture. Instead of crying tho James really interested. He stared at the bunny and grabbed his face, and then looked and made this face and was just sitting on his lap like old pals. I couldn't believe it. Ardo was proud of himself, he was really proud of James for not crying too so was I.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for Milkies Milk Saver and Freeze! It will be going to til Friday! If you aren't a nursing mom these would be a great baby shower gift to win for someone.

4/5/15

Hey guys, today I am having my very first giveaway. I am giving away Milkies Milk Saver and Milkies Freeze. Milkies Milk Saver is the very best friend to any nursing mamas that have ever leaked. Why give those breast pads all that liquid gold when you could be saving it and storing it for your little babe. Milkies Milk Saver can help catch any leakage you might experience, Milkies Freeze can help organize that caught milk and pumped milk you might want to stash for when you are away from your babe or need a nap. Milkies Freeze helps with the first in first out method, keeping your liquid gold organized. So, are you nursing? Thinking about nursing? About to start nursing? Have you leaked? This is totally for you. Super easy to enter this giveaway. Just leave a comment below telling me why Milkies Milk Saver and Freeze would be great for you. I added a few entries for you too following fellow bloggers and they're great too. :)

4/3/15

Okay guys lets face it, this week is about eggs. Here's the thing, because I'm not as consistent with my blog as I should be it feels like I just posted Ardo dying his easter eggs not that long ago. (It's Easter again?) But when we actually started dying the eggs and I see how much has changed in a year, I couldn't help but post again. Ardo actually dyed his own Easter eggs this year, I helped him on giving him direction but everything else he did all by himself. I can't get over how much he's grown. I say that all the time but with each passing day or everytime he says a new word it reminds me of what a big boy he's becoming. And then of course we have Jamesy boy wanting to do everything his big brother does. Ardo was so proud of himself and I was so proud of him. And like I said, this is a week about eggs, and bunny ears, and sweets and that's okay with me.
Ardo was concentrating dying his eggs, and James was concentrating slobbering all over his egg.
A proud little boy with his Star Wars eggs. We've entered in Star Wars world full speed ahead. We are redecorating Ardo's room to all Star Wars. I hope we'll be done soon so I can share what we've done here. It's been a slow process but one I'm really starting to become happy with.